Who We Are

Don’t Frack Maryland brings together a diverse group of public interest organizations, labor groups, businesses, and faith communities from across Maryland and the United States. We are committed to passing a permanent, statewide fracking ban in Maryland.

Concerned by the rapidly expanding evidence of harm and the growing uncertainties caused by unconventional natural gas development and production, we, the undersigned organizations, call for a statewide ban on high-volume hydraulic fracturing, “fracking,” in Maryland.

The state’s current two-year moratorium fails to allow sufficient time for analysis of long-term or cumulative health effects. The emerging science on shorter-latency effects is showing significant threats that would affect the health and safety of Marylanders, and the quality of our air, water, and soil. Citing significant public health risks, including those documented in Maryland’s own health study, New York officials announced in 2014 that they would ban hydraulic fracturing in the State. Maryland, too, should proactively protect the health of its residents.

As dozens of business owners and food industry professionals told Maryland policymakers in 2015, fracking could cause irreparable damage to our state’s unique tourism and sustainable agriculture economies. There is no evidence that this risky practice can be made safe by best practices or state regulations; only an outright ban can protect Maryland’s health and economy.

Based on what we now know, we believe that fracking endangers public health and is the wrong approach to protect the robust Maryland economy and build a clean, sustainable energy future. We urge Maryland’s legislature to pass a statewide ban on hydraulic fracturing.